Machine for uniting matched boards.



NVENTORS ARNO MEREEN HARLES JOHNSON PATBNTBD Nov. 5, 1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Anw', txt

A. MERBEN & C. JOHNSON.

APPLIoATIoN FILED MAY 4,1905.

.mi l

MACHINE FOR UNITING MATGHBD BOARDS.

BW M THEIR ATTORNEY No. 869,923. PATBNTED NOV. 5, 1907.

A'. MBREEN O O. JOHNSON.-

MACHINE FOR UNITING MATOHBD BOARDS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4,1905.

HEBT 2.

mvENTonS Q MEREE'N i Y CHARLES Jomvson wwfsszs c offf/,mw t A w @n www I.l

. nu: NORM: PETERS co., wAsmNGfoN. n. c.

No. 869,923. PATEN'I'ED NOV. 5,-190'7.

A. MERE-EN & O. JOHNSON. MACHINE FOR UNITING MATOHBD BOARDS.

lAPPLICATIONFILED MAY 4, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

3 INVENToHs WITALQQSES F/). Anno Mem-5N HA o OQW.. Byc RLEsJ NsoN Q :l vA! La' THEIR TTonNE 5 No. 869,923. PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907. A.'MEREEN L C.JOHNSON.

MACHINE 'OR UNITING MATGHED BOARDS.

APPLICATION FILED HAY 4,1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

9 ARNO :EN

v CHARLES JoHNs THIR AT onNEYs.

narran sfrnrns PATENT Ormes.

MACHINE FOR UNITING MATCHED BOARDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907',

Application lecl May 4, 1905. Serial No. 258.793.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that we, ARNO MEREEN and OHARLEs JOHNSON, of Minneapolis,Hennepin county, Minnesota, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Uniting Matched Boards, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The obj ect of our invention is to provide aA machine wherein thematched boards comprising the bottom,

sides or top of a box can be easily and quickly united with their endsin perfect alinement with one another.

A further object is to provide a machine ofsimple construction and onethat is strong and durable and has a large capacity.

The invention consists generally in means for feeding the matched boxboards endwise side by side and applying pressure laterally to theboards to unite their contiguous matched edges.

Further, the invention consists in means for regulating the stroke ofthe feed according to the length ofthe boards.

Further, the invention consists in providing alaterally operatingpresser device and yielding means in connection therewith.

Further, the invention consists in providing means operatingsimultaneously with said presser device to bear on the upper surfaces ofthe boards and hold them flat upon the table during the process ofuniting their matched edges.

Further, the invention consists in various constructions andcombinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a perspective view of a machine for uniting matched boardsembodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section ofthe same illustrating the feed operating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a planview of one end of the machine showing the position of the presser orsqueezing device thereon. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section on theline x-x of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line y`fy of Fig. 2.Fig. 6 is a detail of one of the horizontal bars that bears upon theupper surfaces of the boards while their edges are being pressedtogether. A

In the drawing, 2 represents a suitable frame supporting a flat toppedtable 3 whereon the feeding and pressing mechanism of the machine islocated.

4 is a drive shaft having a driven pulley 5 and a pinion 6 meshing witha gear 7 on a shaft 8 provided with a bevel gear 9. A similar gear ismounted on a cam shaft 10 carrying a cam 11. The crank 12 is secured onthe shaft 8, and is connected through links 13, 14 and 15 with crankarms 16 and 17, the former having a fixed pivot 18 and the latter beingsecured on a rock shaft 19. A yoke 20 is secured on the shaft 19 andstraddles parallel horizontal rods 21 on which blocks 22 are slidableand connected by links 23 with the yoke 20. A gear 24 I has bearings inthe block 22 and meshes with the teeth of a fixed rack bar 25 and alsowith a rack bar 26 that is adapted to travel in guides 27 and carries aplate 28 which slides back and forth on one end ofthe table and engagesthe ends of the boards to feed them into the path of the presser deviceat the other end ofthe table. A hopper 29 is provided on the tablewherein the boards are piled one above another, there being a sufficientspace formed between the lower edge of the hopper wall 30 vand the topof the table, to allow a series of boards lying side by side to be movedendwise along the table.

adapt the hopper for boards of different width, or for a greater or lessnumber of them. A platform or support 34 is provided near the hopperwhereon the piles of matched boards are placed preparatory to beingpiled in the hopper in the path of the feed device. The lever 35 issecured on the pivot 18 and travels past a graduated bar 36 and isadapted to be locked thereon by a clamp 37 and said lever permits theoperator to change the position of the compound link connection betweenthe rock shaft 19 and the crank arm 12 for the purpose of regulating thetravel of the gear 24 and the length of stroke of the feed device. Thefeed device through its link connection with the driving mechanism movesslowly as it approaches the end of its stroke in one direction andleaves the feed of boards with even ends, or alined with one another, sothat when their matched edges are pressed together and united one boardwill not project beyond the end of another, which frequently would bethe case if the feed device moved rapidly at the end of its stroke andstopped quickly and allowed the momentum of the boards to carry themforward and leave them irregularly arranged with respect to one another.

The compound link mechanism is similar to the one described in LettersPatent of the United States issued to Arno Mereen, August 25, 1903, N o.737,434, and need not be described or claimed broadly herein.

The inner end of the hopper is preferably located near the middle ofthemachine to allow sufficient space at one end of the table to pile theboards and operate the feed device, while the other end of the table isoccupied by the mechanism that engages the edges of the boards to pressor squeeze them together. This mechanism we will new proceed to describein detail.

38 is a rod transversely arranged on the table and slidably mounted ateach end in bearings 39. The rod projects beyond the table on each side,and at one end is provided with a block 40 adjustably clamped thereon bymeans of bolts 41, or in any other suitable way. A bar 42 -is pivotallyconnected at one endy to the block 40 and has a socket 43 in itsopposite end wherein a coil spring 44 is arranged, the compression ofsaid spring being regulated by means of a threaded plug 45 that fitswithin one end of said socket. Slots 46 are The side walls 31 and 32 areadjustable on a rod 33 to i provided in the walls of said socketswherein a bolt 47 is slidable and attached to a crank 48 on a roel:shaft 49. The movement, therefore, of the block A40 will reciprocate thebar 42 and oscillate the shaft 49 against the tension of the spring 44.The blocl: 40 is operated preferably through a bar 50 that has ayielding sliding connection with an arm 5l through a spring 52 and slot53 in said bar. The arm 5l is secured on a rock shaft 54 that alsocarries an arm 55 having an anti-friction roller 56 to travel in the camll. 'lhe revolution of this cam willy therefore impart an oscillatingmovement to the shaft 54 and reciprocate the block 40 and mechanismconnected therewith.r The rod 38 is provided with a series ofgraduations or marks, and arms 57 are adjustably secured thereon bymeans of bolts- 58, and said arms carry a presser plate 59 that slidestransversely on the surface of the table and bears against the edgeofthe board on that side to force it. against the other boards and presstheir contiguous matched edges tof gether. An angle bar 60 is providedon one side of the table having one of` its flanges overhanging the sameand carrying-.a set screw 6l that is .adapted to engage and clamp a bar62 ragainst which the boards on one side are pressed during theoperation of uniting their edges. This bar is preferably made adjustablelengthwise on the table to allow its position to be changed according tothe length of the boards that are being united. A feed of boards willhave their edges joined together with every stroke of the pressureplate, and when the next feed is advanced into position to be operatedupon the preceding feed will be pushed ahead in front ofthe bar 62, andthen when the plate operates on the second feed it will not contactwiththe boards of the first feed, andthere will be no danger of their jointsbeing opened again. The spring 52 will yield sufciently to act as acushion and take up all the lost. motion of the operating` parts andallow the mechanism to accommodate itself to any slight variation in'thewidth of the boards. A rock shaft'similar to the shaft 49 and paralleltherewith is provided on the opposite side of the table, and both shaftsare provided with arms 62 pivotally connected by bars 63 having loweredges that are adapted to bear upon the upper surface of the boards andhold. them flat- Wise on the table during the operation of uniting theirmatched edges. The movement of the bars 63 is so timed that they will`engage the surfaces of the boards simultaneously with the engagement ofthe presser bar with the edge of the feed of boards, and a perfect unionof the matched edges is thereby insured. The bars 63 at one end haveslots 64 to allow a slight vertical movement of vsaid bars on theirpivots, and flat springs 65 are mounted on said bars and yieldingly holdtheir vertically moving ends at the limit of their downward movement,but allow them to rise and accommodate themselves to any variation inthe thickness of the boards thatare being operated on.

The operation of the machine is as follows: A pile of boards having beenplaced in the hopper the operator will adjust the lever 35 to regulatethe stroke of the feed device, and the machine having been set inmotionthe bottom layer of boards will be engaged by the feed device andpushed forward endwise out of the The speed of the feed device will begradually reduced as the feed of boards passes on to that portion of thetable over which the presser mechanism operates, and when the said feeddevice begins its return stroke it will leave the boards with. theirends in perfect alinement with one another. The reciprocation of the rod38 will move the plate against the edge of the outer board and force ittoward the others, and tlieouter board on the other side engaging theadjustable bar 62 will. cause the contiguous edges of the boards to bepressed together and the tongues and grooves therein united. deviceadvancing another layer of boards will shove the first layer out frombetween the plate and the bar 62 and discharge it at the end of thetable.

W e claim as our invention:

1. The combination, withmeans for feeding boards endwise arranged sideby side and having matched contiguous edges, of means for applyingpressure to one edge of the feed of boards to force their contiguousedges together, and a lengthwise adjustable backing device against whichthe opposite edge of thc feed of boards is pressed when pressure isapplied to said first named edge, substantiallyy as above said tabletransversely thereof, a presser device ad-r justably mounted on said rodand arranged to engage one edge of the feed ofboards, a lengthwiseadjustable stop for the opposite edge, and means foroperating said rodand presser device to force the contiguous'edges of the boards together,substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a table, of a presser device operatingtransversely thereon, a feed mechanism arranged to 'feed boards placedside by side and having matched contiguous edges endwise into the pathof said presser device, said presser device engaging the edge of theouter board on one side, and a stop arranged to engage the edge of theouter board on the other side and resist the action of said presser'device, and said stop being adjustable lengthwise of said boards toallow each feed after being engaged once by said presser device to bemoved by the succeeding feed out of the path of said presser device,substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a table adapted to receive boards arranged sideby side with matched contiguous edges, of means for holdingthe boardsflatwise upon said table, and means for applying pressure to their edgesto unite them, said two means being operatively connected with eachother so as to be simultaneously operated, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a table adapted to receive boards placedthereon side by side and having matched con tiguous edges, ofdepressible bars for engaging the upper surfaecspof the boards with ayieldingv pressure to hold them iiatwise upon said table, means arrangedto engage the outer edges of the feed of boards to pressthcir matchededges together, and means for depressing said bars when the boards arebeing pressed together, andV lifting them whenthe boards are being movedin the line of their feed.

7. The combination, with a table, of means for feedingv The presserplate then recedes, and the feed and said backing being adjustablelengthwise of said boards whereby as each feed of boards is movedforward by the succeeding feed only one engagement of the presser devicewith cach feed will be permitted.

S. The combination, with a` table, o1 a sliding presser device arrangedthereon and operating transversely thereof to engage the edges of boardsplaced side by side on the table and having matched contiguous edges, abar connected with said presser device, and adapted to press upon theboards an oscillating arm means for operating the same, and a yieldingconnection between said arm and bar, for the purpose specified.

l). lhe combination, with a table, of rock shafts mounted thereon andprovided with depending arms, bars connecting said arms across the tableand having a yielding connection therewith at one end, a sliding presserdevice operating beneath said bars, an operating means having a yieldingconnection with said rock shafts and with said presser device, and meansforfeeding boards with matched e( gr, into the path of travel of saidpresser device, beneath said arms, substantially as described.

l0. The combination, with a table whereon the boards are placed side byside and having contiguous matched edges, of bars supported above saidtable and arranged to bear upon the upper surface of the boards, rockshafts provided with a series of arms whereon said bars are supported, abar having a sliding pivotal connection with one of said shafts, aspring provided in said bar and bearing on its pivotal connection withsaid shaft, means for regulating the tension of said spring, and meansfor rocking said shaft.

11. 'lhe combination, with a table provided with a stop on one side, ofa presser plate operating transversely on said table toward and fromsaid stop, a reciprocating feed device arranged to feed boards endwiseplaced side by side with matched contiguous edges between said presserplate and said stop, means arranged to exert a yielding pressure on theupper surfaces of the boards and means fo'r actuating said yieldingpressure means simultaneously with the engagement of the pressure devicetherewith, substantially as described ln witness whereof, we havehereunto set our hands this 1st day of May 1905.

ARN O MEREEN. CHARLES JOHNSON. Witnesses 1 C. G. HnNsON, C. MACNAMARA.

